Turkey scrambles fighter jets to intercept Syrian helicopter

Turkey scrambled two fighter jets to intercept one Syrian helicopter that was approaching its southern border, said a Turkish military statement on its website Friday. Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled on Thursday to intercept one Syrian MI-17 helicopter close to Cilvegozu border gate in the southern province of Hatay, said the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces in the statement. The Syrian MI-17 helicopter was 2.4 km away from the Turkish border, according to the statement. Interception of jets between the two countries has escalated since a Turkish warplane was shot down in 2012 by the Syrian army after it reportedly violated the Syrian airspace. Turkey downed a Syrian MI-17 attack helicopter last September, saying it made a 2-km incursion into its airspace.